by jmarshallroberts on September 23, 2011
New interview just posted from a Canadian group (TSSS) focused on building the sustainable economy in North America. Always interesting–and sometimes surprising–to read your own words coming back at you.
When I wrote “Igniting Inspiration” a few years ago, my emphasis was mostly on THEM…strategies for getting other people (‘receivers’ of our communications) to see our [...]
by jmarshallroberts on May 13, 2011
One of the most reliable discoveries from decades of social psychology research has been the principle of ‘social proof’. Basically, this principle suggests that when deciding how to behave in an uncertain situation most people simply copy the behavior of other people around them. Or to put it in slightly stuffier words:
When confronted with a [...]
by jmarshallroberts on January 21, 2011
I’ve long considered the human mind to be a lot like a cell–> it has a powerful, raw experiential nucleus surrounded by layers of beliefs and attitudes which act as selectively permeable membranes that filter what information gets in and out.
From this point of view, what we call ‘cynicism’ is comparable to the hardening of mental membranes [...]
by jmarshallroberts on January 3, 2011
Have you ever felt so connected to someone while they were speaking that it seemed as if they were reading your mind? When listening closely to another person, have their next words ever mysteriously popped into your head before they were even spoken?
According to new brain research by Princeton professor Greg J. Stephens (as outlined [...]
by jmarshallroberts on December 13, 2010
If you had your wish, what changes in the world woud you most want to make? Would you want to rid the world of nuclear weapons and gas guzzling cars? Save the polar bears? End racism? Cause world peace?
Whatever it is, if you look closely enough, you’ll see that the changes you are after are [...]
by jmarshallroberts on November 17, 2010
I quite often find myself gathered in groups of social innovators, discussing seemingly esoteric and abstract psychological distinctions about the mindset of the so-called ‘mainstream.’
But I must confess something: These conversations haven’t worked. Or at least not as well as I’d like.
You see, it’s one thing to articulate research that shows how mainstream values of ’success’ ‘affluence’ and ‘prosperity’ [...]
by jmarshallroberts on September 21, 2009
The ice-caps are melting, water supplies are dwindling, rain forests are depleting, and species are dying off like hair follicles on Matt Lauer’s shiny head. The greatest global shift in human history is happening, and most of our fellow humans aren’t even paying attention.
What is the cause of this apathy?
by jmarshallroberts on July 28, 2009
1. Inspiration is our natural state, but we are usually unaware of it.
2. Lies kill inspiration. Truth ignites it.
3. Inspiration originates from neither the body nor the mind. It arises from a deeper dimension than perception.
4. A message’s authenticity and percieved personal relevance are the two critical factors that determine its inspirational potency.
5. Inspiration cannot be [...]
by jmarshallroberts on July 18, 2009
(note: this entry is the final installment of an ongoing series starting with the post “Plato’s Seven Caves”)
…And so, having escaped from the suffocating ideologies of early mankind, and perhaps even the fear of death itself, our human finds himself exploding innovative ideas and visions for improving a world out of balance. The economy, health [...]
by jmarshallroberts on January 18, 2009
(note: this entry is part 4 of ongoing series starting with the post “Plato’s Seven Caves”)
Having shed the shackles of unquestioned conformity to the tribal will, heroic man had the world at his fingertips. Lawless and bold, he could now strike out with sheer brazen wilfullness to attain whatever he wanted. No rules. No laws. Just raw, predatory, winner-take-all power. For what more could [...]